He Couldn't Say No
by KeepHoldingOnXo
Summary: Troy struggles with being a part of the team, but can a certain brown eyed, brunette change that? ONE-SHOT


"One Red Raspberry Smoothie for you," Ernie said with a smile on his face.

Troy Burrows sat on the stool in front of the bar and took the drink into his hands. "Thanks, Ernie."

It was a Friday afternoon in Harwood County, and of course everyone from school was there discussing their plans for the rest of the night. Caroline Santanna was talking rather loudly about a party she was throwing and how everyone was invited while the other girls squealed in glee about it being their first "real high school party." Ted Lyle was on the other side of the hang out spot talking about a new movie that just came out and how a big group of them were getting together to see it.

Troy sat unnerved by it all and thought about the plans that he normally had every day from the moment became the Red Megaforce Power Ranger: training. It was the only thing he actually did out side of school and his ranger duties, and he was okay with it. He needed to be good, no, _far from good_, if he ever planned on defeating Creepox. Sitting around watching movies and going to parties just wasn't his thing, and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

"Hey, stranger," Troy heard someone call out from behind. He turned and watched as Emma Goodall walked up to him casually.

"Hey," he said as she sat down beside him, "What are you doing here."

"Looking for you," she smiled brightly. Troy arched his eyebrow at her.

"And may I ask why?" he replied.

"Well, the others and I were wondering if you wanted to go with us to see this new movie that came out yesterday? It's supposed to be _really _good."

Troy sighed and looked away from her. Taking a sip from his smoothie, he looked back at her. She was biting her lip in anticipation, and Troy couldn't help but lose his breath at the sight of her. He looked away from her again. "I can't," he finally said.

Emma let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. "Why not? It's good bonding time with the team, and it's going to be really fun. I promise!"

"It's not that I don't think it wouldn't be fun. It's just that I have a lot of homework to do tonight."

"Troy," Emma leaned in closer to his face and he held his breath while she whispered, "it's Friday."

He met her eyes, and felt a chill run through him at their close proximity. He wouldn't deny that there was an attraction he had to the Pink Ranger, and that she wasn't incredibly cute, but he didn't need to think about such things when she was his teammates. That's one of the "don'ts" to being on a team. "Well," he finally said, "I guess I better get on it so that it doesn't take up my entire weekend. He dug in his pocket for a tip and placed it on the counter, never leaving her eyes. "Tell, the others I said hello." He turned away from her and got up to leave, but stopped when he felt a tug on the back of his jacket. He looked back and saw Emma's hand stretched out in front of her clenching on to the leather.

"I really don't understand you," she said in low voice for only them to hear. "One minute you're giving us these preachy speeches about working together as a team, and the next it's like you want nothing to do with us and shut us out completely." She sighed for the second time and then let go of his jacket and placed both of her hands at her sides.

Troy stared at her for a minute and so badly wanted to tell her that what she was saying was far from the truth, but he knew, and she knew that that would have been a lie. "Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go," he said, and left without another word. Emma opened her mouth to call out to him, but quickly shut it when she realized that it would be futile.

Emma swung on the swing-set in the park beside her best friend as she explained what happened only an hour ago. Gia listened silently and looked at the ground.

"And then he just walked away," Emma finished by kicking the dirt from underneath her.

"Wow. How anti-social can one person get," Gia said.

"I don't think it's that. I think it's something that he's not telling us, and that's what makes him push us away."

Gia looked at Emma and watched as her face kept growing more and more worried by the second. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Why do you think that? Has he said anything?"

Emma shook her head and twiddled her dream-catcher necklace in one hand and chewed a nail on the other. "Well, not really-"

"Hey, guys! What's up?" A male voice called out. Gia and Emma quickly looked over their shoulders and saw none other than Jake and Noah walking up towards them.

Gia rolled her eyes. "I thought we agreed on meeting up at the movies later. Why is it that you guys just happen to be here now?"

Jake gave her a crooked smile and tilted his head as he came up closer. "Aw, come on, G! Plus it's always nice to be early on the first date.

Gia gave him a hard glare. "We are all hanging out as a group, smooth-talker. And I thought I told you not to call me that!"

Jake chuckled and gave her a light push on the swing, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

Noah looked at Emma and noticed that she was being very quite. "Is everything okay, Emma? You seem really deep in thought."

Emma shook her head out of the trance she was in and gave him a smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. But I guess this whole movie thing is going to be a party of four."

"Oh, what? Is Mr. Broody too cool to hang out with us?" Jake said sarcastically, but Gia quickly elbowed him in the ribs and he hunched over in pain. "I was kidding!"

Noah pushed his glasses up. "We really need a power card that would be able to keep Jake's mouth shut at times like this," he said. Emma laughed, but Noah continued. "I wouldn't worry so much about him. He's the new guy, so of course he would feel like he wouldn't fit in with the rest of us. Give him some more time. I'm sure he'll come around."

Emma gave him a respectful nod and thanked him. She looked down at her shoes and wondered what he was doing at the moment. All but quickly, though, she realized that she knew exactly what he was doing.

Troy saw nothing but darkness as he spun around and kicked a water jug that was headed straight for his face. He felt another one coming from the other side and he quickly ducked so that it missed him completely. He did a front tuck and landed in a crouch before stopping to catch his breath. He lifted his hands and brought them to the back of his head, untying the knot of a blindfold wrapped around his face and walked over to a tree and bent down grab the towel that lay on top of his book bag.

He had been in the woods training the entire afternoon since his run in with Emma. His mind kept wondering back to the brown-eyed brunette and what she said.

All his life he had been the one to keep to himself, and he didn't really find the need for friends. He didn't think it would be any different when he moved to Harwood. Not until he became a ranger and met his teammates..._met her_.

He couldn't tell what it was about Emma that made her so different from the others. She was soft-spoken, polite, and always trying to make him feel welcome, but there was something more than just that, but he couldn't place his finger on it.

The sun was beginning to set and night would soon take over the woods. Troy wondered if he would still be able to catch up with the others if he left at that moment, but thought against it. He didn't need to hang out with them to be teammates. He didn't need to know them on that much of a personal level to be able to get the job done. He didn't need-

"I thought I'd find you here," he heard.

Emma walked through the last couple of trees and watched as Troy whipped around to face her. He looked very startled at her sudden appearance and she couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Why are you here," he asked her.

She walked through the maze of jugs that were hanging from the air and stopped a couple of feet away from him. "You know," she ignored his question, "Noah told me that since you were the new guy, you'd obviously want some space, and at first I believed him, but as I walked home to get ready I couldn't help but think that it was complete crap."

Troy cringed at her tone of voice, something he never heard her sound like before, but he firmly stood his ground. "And that brought you here because..."

"You are so aggravating!" she all but yelled. "All I've tried to do is incorporate you into this group and you just keeping shoving me off to the side."

"It's not like I asked you to!" he replied back. "You're always trying to find the answers, but _why? _And why do you think you know me so much?"

Emma suppressed her anger at him and softly replied, "I don't think I know you, but I wish I did?"

"But _why?" _Troy pushed further.

Emma stood there for a moment and listened to the slight gust of wind that came. She sighed and walked a bit closer to him. "Because you're a part of the team."

He was annoyed at this answer and growled. "Something other than that."

She got even closer, "Because we're friends."

Troy forced himself to swallow. "Is that it?" He asked huskily.

She stepped even closer so that she was only inches from his face. "Because I _care_, and I think you're special."

Troy stared at her with a look of bewilderment on his face. She thought _he _was special? He saw that as her cheeks began to turn pink at her sudden confession, she was telling him nothing but the utmost truth.

He reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing it, and whispered. "I'm not all that special, Emma...but thank you." He was about to let go, but then she tightened her hold on his.

She slowly looked up and met his eyes. "Will you come to the movies with me? _Please_?"

Troy felt his heart begin to swell up as he looked her in the eyes. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't asking if he would go with the group, but instead with _her_. Maybe it was because of the way she was holding his hand. Or maybe it was the way she eagerly bit at her lip in anticipation as she did earlier before. He didn't even notice himself nodding until she tugged at his hand and led him through the woods to town so that they could join their friends at the movie theaters.

He only realized later when all was said and done, and all the laughter that he shared during and after the movie with his friends, teammates, and the beautiful girl that held his hand throughout the entire movie that he realized the real reason behind his sudden agreement to go in the first place.

It was the way he couldn't say no to her.

**A/N: AHHHH! Alright, I know I said that I wouldn't make another fanfiction about them until they got more character development and had more episodes with each other. BUT GOSH DARNIT, THEY WERE SO CUTE IN TODAY'S EPISODE! I'm honestly shipping them harder than Jake/Gia and I regret nothing. **

**REVIEEEEEEEW!**


End file.
